People across Florida are mourning the loss of Jimmy Carter. He is not just remembered as a former Georgia governor and a U.S. president, but by the legacy he left behind.
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In Jacksonville, that legacy includes his trip here in 2000. President Jimmy Carter had many ties to this area- possibly the biggest was his work with Habitat for Humanity.
A 76-year-old Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn spent days building 100 homes in Jacksonville’s Moncrief neighborhood.
Executive director for Habitat in Clay County said this is a hard time for Floridians and all Americans. Jimmy Carter affected so many lives, including 100 local families who could say a president helped build their home.
“He helped build 100 houses and he worked with the volunteers in the cold or hot. It didn’t matter what kind of weather he was in,” said Carolina Morrow.
Carter worked with Habitat for Humanity for 40 years and built nearly 4,400 homes in that time. Organization officials said Carter’s passion for making low-income homeowners drives the organization to this day.
There is still a need of affordable housing in the community. Morrow said the organization will soon work on a project to build 10 houses in Clay County.
She said the organization holds dearly to a quote Carter said about Habitat of Humanity. He said in parts:
“Habitat has given us the ability to share, side-by-side, and build a home with families that have never had a decent place to live.”
“This is really sad, but his legacy is forever and that is what we want to carry.”
Jimmy Carter did much of his work in the United States, but he was a global force for peace. He built homes in 14 countries and the Carter Center has worked around the world to eliminate diseases and protect elections.
Jimmy Carter later received the Nobel peace prize for his work in 2002.
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